Kenny Bernstein

Kenneth Dale Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed "the Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King funny car and dragster. He has also been nicknamed "the King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start quarter mile. Bernstein owned King Racing, which he drove for in the NHRA and fielded various cars in other racing series such as IndyCar and NASCAR. Bernstein retired from full-time competition in 2002 and moved his son Brandon into the Bud King Top Fuel dragster, but returned to finish the season in place of his son after Brandon suffered a severe injury. With the exception of a brief return to Funny Car in 2007, Bernstein did not return to the car and instead continued to run his team until the end of the 2011 season when he left drag racing altogether.

Bernstein attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas; he played on the high school's football team. Bernstein was attending the Arlington State College (now University of Texas at Arlington) in 1966 for business administration when he decided to quit to become a drag racer. He did not have enough money, so he became a traveling salesman for Whistle Stop (a clothing line for teenage girls). He drove throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee in a Cadillac.

At the 1978 NHRA Summernationals at Englishtown, Bernstein drove the Chelsea King funny car. He first became a full-time professional Funny Car driver in 1979. The following year, he acquired a sponsorship deal from Anheuser-Busch (with its Budweiser brand), which lasted for thirty years^{[citation needed]} until the new owner of Anheuser-Busch, InBev, elected not to renew his contract. Bernstein won his first Funny Car championship in 1985, and successfully defended his title over the next three seasons.^{[citation needed]}

Bernstein and tuner Dale Armstrong would turn to land speed racers the Arivett brothers to design Bernstein's Bud King Buick LeSabre in 1987. This car would be dubbed the “Batmobile”. It would profoundly change Funny Car aerodynamics.

In 1990, following a change in NHRA rules, Bernstein began to drive in the Top Fuel Dragster class. Two years later, Bernstein became the first driver in any class to exceed 300 MPH in competition, and won his first Top Fuel championship in 1996, becoming the first driver in NHRA history to win a championship in both of the nitro classes, however, Bernstein states that his 1996 championship was "somewhat tainted" due to the loss of driver Blaine Johnson. At the awards banquet that year, Bernstein gave up his championship trophy to Blaine's brother, and lifelong crew chief, Alan, who has gone on to win twelve more championship trophies himself, as crew chief for Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham, Shawn Langdon and Brittany Force. Bernstein reclaimed the title in 2001, and is the only driver to have achieved multiple championships in both nitro categories.

Bernstein retired in 2002, handing driving duties of the "Budweiser King" to his son Brandon. However, he was pressed back into action as a substitute driver after Brandon Bernstein broke his back in June. Although he only raced in 15 events, Bernstein picked up right where he had left off, winning four straight Top Fuel events to close out the season, placing him sixth in season points. He returned to running his team after the season, but rumors began to persist that a comeback was in the works.

In September 2006, Bernstein announced that he would return to racing in the Funny Car division the following season, fielding the Monster Energy Dodge Charger for his own team. His return to active competition was not a good one to start, as he failed to qualify for the opening two events in the 2007 season, earning the minimum 10 points each driver gets for making at least one qualifying run. Following those events, Bernstein fired his crew chief Ray Alley and replaced him with Jimmy Walsh, former crew chief for Top Fuel driver J.R. Todd.

Bernstein's results gradually improved over the season, but he did not make the inaugural Countdown to the Championship. He returned to retirement following the season and hired Tommy Johnson, Jr. to drive the Monster Energy Charger for 2008. Bernstein discontinued the team following that season.